Eiji Maruyama
Eiji Maruyama '(英治丸山, Maruyama Eiji '') is the lieutenant of the 8th Division under Captain Takehiko Satō within the Gotei 13. An ambitious and determined individual, Eiji is seeking to become the next captain should a vacancy become available and is being groomed by his captain in the process. A powerful combatant, Eiji is considered one of the strongest lieutenants currently serving. He resides in the Bleach: War of Souls universe. Appearance Eiji has piercing red eyes and short unkempt black hair with several bangs hanging over his forhead and slightly parted in the middle. He's tall shinigmai with a lean but toned build and wears the standard shinigami robes with his division's armband on his right arm, held in place by a red sash. As tradition within his division, his left arm is covered in red plated armor extending from his shoulder to his wrist, with his hand protected by a similar colored guard which he uses to deflect attacks and protect himself. He carries his sword on his left side, with it tucked into the white sash around his waist. When traveling in the Human World in his Gigai, Eiji typically wears jeans that are torn on the knees, boots, button down shirt and zip-up hoodie with a black leather jacket over it. His overall facial features still remain the same and keeps his hair messy. Personality Eiji is a dedicated and hardworking shinigami with aspirations of becoming captian one day. His dedication is one of the main driving factors to his high status within the other lieutenants and commands a high level of respect from his comrades. He's viewed as a model soldier who takes his position seriously and who never slacks off, even during his classes. During his time at the academy, Eiji attended advanced classes, signaling a drive in him to better himself and endure grueling training. Because of his convictions, Eiji can also be viewed as stern, with Kiku mentioning him as being a "buzzkill" sometimes. When battling, he remains focused and fights honorably, disliking underhanded tactics to gain an advantage. Eiji is also known to fight fearlessly and carries his determination into combat. Feeling this incredible urge to prove himself, Eiji can sometimes be impatient, either speaking out or attacking prematurely at times. Though humble most of the time, Eiji has a certain rivalry with lieutenant of the 13th Division, Sōkaku Date, whose skills are considered equal to his own and is also in the running for a potential captain candidate. This has caused the two to lash out at one another on a separate occassions with Eiji scolding Sōkaku's attitude, while Sōkaku pokes fun at Eiji's stiff personality. Sōkaku also tries to seek Kiku's affection, much to Eiji's annoyance. During the few times where Eiji is not training, he enjoys taking walks either around Seireitei or in the Human World. He's picked up a few likes during his trips to the living, such as King of Fighters video games and eating hamburgers. But while in Soul Society, he maintains a high level of professionalism when on duty. His fellow comrades, namely Kiku, try to get him to come out for recreational activities in an attempt to break him out of his serious shell, and can be seen drinking saki with them during festivities. His relationship with Kiku is yet undefined, but the two obviously share a bond with one another, not just as comrades. Eiji cares greatly for Kiku, and vice versa, with Kiku wishing Eiji would loosen up more. While he does not act as affectionate around the general public, he's known to pick a different flower every month and leave it on her windowsill, sometimes much rarer species that can be found far away from the protective walls of Soul Society. History Coming Soon. Plot *Whispers of War *Something Wicked This Way Comes Powers & Abilities '''Zanjutsu Master: Eiji has trained exceptionally hard as a shinigami and excelled in nearly every aspect of combat. Since his days at the Academy, he has always been regarded as a strong combatant and only increased as the years went by. Eiji was transferred to advanced classes by his first year and began a rigorous training schedule that by the time he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant, his skills were considered at a master's level and allowed him to spar with captain level opponents. His fighting style is described as being powerful and focused, incorporating both one-handed and two-handed techniques. With a single swing, it possesses enough power and precision to cleanly slice through solid matter. Since he continues training under his captain, a powerful shinigami whose a master at nearly all forms of combat, Eiji's skill only grows with each encounter and he's mastered several sword arts that make him quite versatile during battles. He adopt a more traditional fighting style that incorporates power and precision, and quickly shift to a style that's more speed and agility based. Eiji can do battle against a single foe or group of enemies with minimal difficulty and has been sent on missions alone on several occassions. Another testament to his skill is that when training or sparring, he mainly battles against Instructor Yamada as he's the only one who can give him a challenge, but has also sparred against Kenzō Takeshi on more than one occassion. He is regarded by his captain and Combat Instructor as one of the top 3 strongest lieutenants currently serving within the Gotei 13, and a potential candidate for captain in the near future. *'Kusarigama Mastery:' Due to the nature of his Zanpakutō, Eiji has developed a style of combat that is a variation of Kusarigamajutsu, which features fighting at a distance with substantial usage of the chains to ensnare opponents, as well as using his Zanpakutō as a long-ranged, throwing weapon. While already proficient with a blade, Eiji has shown remarkable skill in wielding the chain extending from his sword's handle and deadly precision with the spike located at the tip. Typically, Eiji will attack with the spike from a distance, spinning the chains in wide arcs to distract his opponents, and then close in with his sword for close combat. The spike serves primarily as a stabbing weapon, capable of piercing through solid objects. He also makes use of the chain to entangle his targets to restrain them and proceed to attack with its many other abilities. His skill in the use of his Zanpakutō than he can use the chain as an anchor and spin his sword in wide arcs, attacking with a slashing weapon now to cleave objects cleanly in two. He's shown to be completely confident in wielding his sword in this manner and unafraid to blend agility and speed during the sword's flight. Hakuda Expert: As a soldier who's intensively trained every aspect of the shinigami arts, Eiji is a powerful hand-to-hand combatant who has received further training from his captain. His style of fighting focuses on grappling techniques, using his opponent's body and momentum against them. Its very reminiscent of Judo, where the objective is to either throw or takedown an opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue an opponent with a pin, or force an opponent to submit with a joint lock or a choke. When performing striking techniques, he uses power attacks such as closed fist strikes, heel kicks, and also incorporates his elbows and knees so that he can use his entire body as a weapon. While not a master level like Kenzō, Eiji, nevertheless, can hold his own against several lower ranked shinigami during sparring sessions, defeating them in the process. Against other lieutenants, he's considered one of the most skilled, often requiring captain level opponents to give him a proper challenge. He doesn't typically use agility based techniques, though is trained in their use, but instead favors strength and precision, attacking close to his opponents to utilize his grappling maneuvers. Kidō Expert: As with his Zanjutsu and Hakuda skills, Eiji is very talented in the combat arts of Kidō, capable of stringing several low to mid level kido spells together without incantation or visible signs of effort. He seems to be well-versed enough in Kidō to have an understanding of at least fairly high-level spells and their incantations, most noticeably Bakudō #62: Hyapporankan and Hadō #63: Raikōhō. He's described as using Kidō in a balanced manner, casting both destructive and binding spells in the middle of battle and nearless seamlessly with his other combat skills. Since it consumes a great deal of energy to cast, Eiji uses Kidō sparingly during battle to either distract and confuse his opponents, while the destructive spells are used for larger areas of effect or when his Zanpakutō is unavailable. During his time at the Academy, he was given high marks in this area and his skill has only increased through years of practice and use. Hohō Expert: '''Eiji's skill in Flash Steps is easily that of an expert, able to effectively use it to traverse large distances in seemingly the blink of an eye, and utilize it in combat to evade attacks that are even at close range. Eiji has always been noted for his speed, despite his muscular frame, and can match other lieutenants with ease. His level places him in the higher tiers within his ranks, allowing him to even match captains for short periods of time. While his fighting style consists primarily of power attacks, Eiji has shown a surprising amount of agility during his speed movements, leaping out of the way and performing acrobatic maneuvers. With his speedy footwork, Eiji is also granted an extraordinary amount of heightened reflexes, allowing him to dodge an attack that's mere inches from his face and escape completely unharmed. He can singlehandedly defeat a group of hollows using his speed to get in close and strike them down before they have time to react. Also, his speed and reflexes allow him to wield his Zanpakuto when released and safely wield it by its chain without risk of harming himself. '''Enhanced Durability: Trained and battle hardened, Eiji is known to be to able to take great deals of physical punishment that would otherwise render people unconcious. During his numerous missions, he's traveled to hostile zones within Hollow territory and survived countless attacks, even going so far as taking a direct hit from a Cero blast and remaining relatively uninjured. Even when battling against lower ranked Shinigami, he's withstood low level Kidō spells and continued fighting, sometimes shrugging off these attacks. Granted these spells were cast from less experienced users and remains to be seen how he would stack up against stronger users. High Spiritual Power: Even though a lieutenant, Eiji boasts levels of spiritual power much higher than most, placing him near a tier of captain which in turn allows him to stand in their presence without being paralyzed by their extraordinary might. When manifesting it, his aura appears as a feint yellow glow that grows brighter and more intense as he vents his power. With his power, Eiji can convert it into moments of increased strength and speed, showing he possesses enough control to manipulate his own power to enhance his physical attributes. Also, his higher spiritual power affords him a certain level of resistance to damage, which allows him to withstand strong attacks with minimal injury. Since his spiritual power works in conjunction with his Kidō, his spells can be cast with much more strength than other lieutenants. Even amongst their ranks, most lieutenants look up to Eiji for his strength and power, and he serves as a model shinigami to strive towards. Zanpakutō Ryūkotsu (竜骨, Dragon Bone) In it's sealed form, Ryukaze resembles a typical katana with a dark red sheathe, black handle, with red wrapping around the hilt. As with other Zanpakutō, its differentiating marker is its tsuba that appearas as a silver circular crossgaurd with two fangs etched into it on each side of the handle. *'Shikai:' It's release command is "Breathe" (息をする, Ikiwosuru) When the release command is said, Ryūkotsu erupts in orange flames, consuming it entirely. Once Ryūkotsu has finished altering its appearance, Eiji will then flick his blade, causing the fire to disperse and reveal Ryūkotsu's new form. The handle is now a long piece of white bone wrapped in a crimson band with a tuff of red fur at the base. Instead of a crossguard, the bone handle connects to a large piece of bone that greatly resembles the skull of a dragon with its mouth open and the blade sticking through it. The blade is straight and slim with the tip ending in a slanted razor-like edge instead of being tapered to a point. The sharp edge of the blade appears silver while to the rest is a jet black. : Shikai Ability: 'Ryūkotsu is a dual elemental Zanpakutō that commands both fire and wind, and also possesses the ability to access a secondary weapon through the bone handle. As with Urahara's Benihime, Ryūkotsu has numerous abilities, both offensive and defensive, at Eiji's disposal. One of its unique features is that the blade will change color depending on which element Ryūkotsu is accessing. When using his fire based techniques, the blade will glow a vibrant yellow orange, while using his wind based techniques will cause the blade to glow a cool blue. Ryukaze also has a secondary weapon concealed within the tuff of fur dangling from the pommel. By grabbing the tuff of fur and pulling on it, Ryukaze summons its '''Ryōbi '(竜尾, Dragon Tail) The tuff of fur extends into a long chain with a small blade at the tip. The chain itself is very strong and can extend to great lengths, allowing Eiji to attack with it as a ranged weapon. Like Ryūkotsu's blade, Ryōbi can heat up and change color, causing its target to burn if entangled in the chain. The techniques that Ryūkotsu possesses can come from either the blade or the chain, often catching his opponents offguard. Eiji is also somewhat immune to the effects of the heat from his Zanpakutō, allowing him protection while handling it. :*'''Netsukiba (熱牙, Heat Fang) By absorbing ambient heat into the blade, Eiji is able to temporarily increase Ryūkotsu's attack power so he can deal even more damage with each swing. When striking a target, its noted that Eiji know hits much harder, often causing his opponents to stumble back, or cause them to drop to the floor if its an overhand attack. While an opponent was suspended in the air momentarily, Eiji was able to deliver a spinning attack that sent the target flying backwards through the sky. :*''' Enyoku''' (炎翼, Blaze Wing) By swinging his fire enhanced blade, Eiji can release thin discs of super condensed flames from Ryūkotsu's blade that spin through the air and slice his targets. These projectiles are sharp enough to cut cleanly through solid matter, as well as cutting through spells or energy-based attacks. By swinging his blade repeatedly, Eiji can produce more of these attacks to rain down on his targets or destroy an area if they are using the surrounding as cover. :*'Yojin' (余燼, Embers) By swinging his blade, numerous small orbs of yellow energy scatter over an area and detonate once they make contact with a surface. These orbs appear as small embers that are being fanned off of the blade as Eiji swings it and is able produce a large quantity to completely destroy an area. Also, because of its wide range, his opponents often find difficulty in completely evading these explosions. Eiji can also produce these embers by simply holding out his blade and letting them gently scatter from the heat enhanced metal. These embers can then simply float over an area, often giving the illusion of fireflies to deceive his opponents and explode before they are aware of the trap. :*'Bakuhatsu' (爆発, Explosion) First using Ryōbi to either tangle his opponents within the chain or use the dagger at the end to stab them, Ryūkotsu can then send a stream of energy through the chain and explodes when it strikes against the restrained opponent. Given the close proximity of the blast, Eiji can deliver a great deal of damage with this ability. He's also shown the ability to strike the ground or any other object and cause it to detonate, either destroying the area or sending debris against his target. :*'Kazekiba' (風牙, Wind Fang) Similar to the Netsukiba ability but utilizing the element of wind instead. Eiji absorbs nearby wind and cold air into the balde, causing it to glow a cool blue in the process. While Netsukiba increased the strength and power of an attack, Kazekiba increases the blade's overall cutting power, meaning its able to slash through nearly any substance it strikes, even magical barriers. This allows Eiji to bypass target defenses with increased ease. :*'Nejikirikaze' (螺子切り風, Thread Cutting Wind) An attack that is similar to Kensei Muguruma's Air Blades, in both appearance and power. By slashing the air, Eiji can release transparent strings of wind and send them rushing towards a target, slicing and destroying everything in its path. Apparently, these strings possess enough power to cut through solid matter such as wood and stone, which shows a lethal ability to completely slice living targets if they are caught in this ability's path. :*'Ryūiki' (龍息, Dragon Breath) Charging his blade with wind and air, Eiji will slash the air towards a target and release a small rush of air that expands into a tornado and completely sweeps up the target and slam them back down towards to the ground. This ability can also momentarily immobilize a target by surrounding them with wind, sucking the air out from their lungs and suffocating them in the process. Depending on how much air the blade has absorbed, these tornadoes can vary in size and power. :*'Rasenhinote' (螺旋火の手, Spiral Blaze) Combining both elements of fire and wind, Eiji can summon a large whirlwind of flames that spiral around him and climb to great heights. This attack renders close range combat completely useless as the heat he produces is so intense that opponents are unable to stand near its presence. Only remains immune to the effects of the fire that he produces and uses Rasenhinote to shield him from incoming attacks and completely incinerate them on contact. To initiate this ability, Eiji heats up both the sword and chain, and swings them above his head, igniting the air and creating the tornado of fire in the process. *'Bankai: Kōteikiba Ryūkotsu' (皇帝牙竜骨, Emperor Fang Dragon Bone) Eiji is one of the few lieutenants who is capable of Bankai, and as such his power multiplies even further. Before activating it, Eiji holds out his weapon, pointing it towards his opponent as the typical gesture when preparing to release his Bankai. When he says the word, Eiji's spiritual shoots up immensely, casting off a red glow while swirling red wind explodes from the blade and completely envelops him in a tornado, casting off arcs of red electricity as he does so and releasing such power that it can cause damage to the area. Inside this tornado, Eiji as already began changing his appearance and once the wind disperses his new form can be revealed. His sword arm is now protected with red armor covering his hand and forearm, while Ryūkotsu remains the same. His other arm, though, is completely covered in the same red armor, jagged in several parts with his hand covered by an ornate guard that resembles a dragon's mouth. Both hands are covered by black gloves. The armor covering his left arm is connected at the shoulder to a long segmented piece that wraps around his upper torso diagonally, similar to a sash with the end trailing off similar to a dragon's tail. Also on the shoulder is a larger guard that extends up to protect Eiji's face. His head is also protected by a red visor that covers the top half of his head just above the eyes that taper off at the end into horns that extend back. The visor can extend down over his eyes when activating certain abilities. **'Bankai Special Ability: '''Aside from its new abilities specific to Bankai, it is highly durable and grants him great protection from incoming attacks. It can clash against bladed weapons easily while leaving Eiji completely safe from harm. Kōteikiba Ryūkotsu can gather tremendous amounts of red energy through its scales and release it as powerful blasts. Aside from this, Eiji can also use any of its Shikai abilities through his left arm, as well. While all of his previous abilities are more powerful due to the increase in Bankai, Kōteikiba Ryūkotsu has one additional ability only accessible while in this form. ***'Ryūkōtei Taihō''' (龍皇帝大砲, Dragon Emperor Cannon) Before initiating this attack, Eiji will summon several Ryōbi that fire out from the armor across his torso and pierce the area around him, similar to how Soifon prepares the use of her Bankai, and firmly anchor him to the ground. His then causes the visor to slide down over his eyes, revealing it to be a transparent red glass that targets his enemy. Extending his left arm out towards his opponent, the guard will open and extend forward, completely covering his hand now making it appear as if the dragon has opened his mouth. Up his arm, the armor will fold up and out, extending past his shoulder, with the end opening similar to how a flower blooms, revealing several tubes at its center. Red energy will then begin to appear and be pulled into the armor through the folds, causing it to glow underneath. At the mouth end, the energy is then transformed into a small sphere that will grow as more energy is collected. Once Eiji has collected sufficient energy and reached its desired level, he braces himself and finally releases the blast. From the mouth, a massive beam of intense energy is fired out with such force that it causes the area around him to be blown away from the shockwave, while the excess energy is released out the tubes from the back exhausts. The beam will destroy everything in its path and when it connects with its intended target, it will release a massive explosion that further destroys anything within the blast radius. The explosion can be felt from great distances and a mushroom cloud can be seen from the fallout. Since this attack requires a tremendous amount of energy, it appears that it is a one time use where his Bankai will automatically be deactivated afterwards and then will require him to wait an unknown amount of time to recharge.